‘Annie’s’ Gaffney Spends Quality Time With Co-Star: Sandy, the Dog

Lauren Gaffney is sleeping with her co-star.

“I just love that dog,” says the 12-year-old actress, who has the title role in “Annie Warbucks,” the newly retooled sequel to the 1977 Tony winner “Annie,” now playing at the Pantages Theatre. “We used to sleep in the same bed to bond--and sometimes we still do,” Gaffney adds of her canine companion, who plays ever-faithful Sandy to her Little Orphan Annie. “She’s the best part of the show.”

Three years ago, when the original “Annie” sequel, “Annie 2,” bowed in Washington, D.C., critics and audiences found little--if anything--to recommend the musical. However, Gaffney (who auditioned for that earlier production but was not cast) says the newest incarnation is “much different--much better songs, better plot. I have more songs and Harve (Presnell, as Daddy Warbucks) has more songs. It’s a happier show.”

The New Jersey native has been onstage since age 8, when she made her debut in a community theater staging of “Hello, Dolly!”

“After it ended, I asked my mom, ‘What am I going to do next?’ ” she recalls. Since then, she’s racked up five major stage credits, including “The Sound of Music” with Debby Boone. With this show, her mother (a nursing instructor at Columbia University) often travels with her, and her father and two brothers fly in regularly to visit. Life on the road “is great,” the actress says cheerfully. “Sometimes I stay up till 1 or 2, then I get up at noon.”

In addition to her fondness for Sandy, Gaffney is a big fan of her own character. “Annie is an optimistic girl,” she says, “always trying to make things better. She’s spunky--and a lot of fun to play.” As for the possibly daunting prospect of carrying a show: “I used to be nervous before each performance,” she admits. “But now I really love it, and I know the show really well. I enjoy being the star.”